Simulation of natural surfaces by transfer to certain materials



Nov. 17, 1931. F. c. cLosE 1,832,531

SIMULATION 0F NATURAL SURFACES BY TRANSFER TO CERTAIN MATERIALS med march 11, 1951 Patented Nw.' '17, 1931 UNITED/STATES ISBD C. CLSE, F NEW YORK, H. Y.

SIMULATION F NATURAL SUBFACES BY TBANBFm T0 CERTAIN' um Application med latch 11, 1981, 'Serial No. 521,878..

This invention relates to so called decalcomania or thcxprocess of transferring a previously prin or otherwise `formed picf ture, from` the sheet of paper or other temporary carrier on which the picture is originally formed in any suitable or desired way, to a selected base material, such base material subsequently to constitute the final and permanent carrier of said picture to provide an imitationof the genuine material the surface of which is reproduced or simulated by said picture. v

One important object of the invention is to solve a serious problem existing heretopictures to certain base materials which due to theirphysical structure or otherwise are non-smooth and diiiicultly smoothable or otherwise have characteristic surface defects of such a nature asto hamper or prevent permanent adhesion of the transferred picture thereto` and/or substantially uniform ad hesion of such -picture substantially all over the base material. A good many base materials of the kind just indicated have been encountered, as natural or fabricated sheets, slabs or other forms; among which, to refer to a few of those I have successfully operated on pursuant to the invention, ma mentioned clu ing lime or gy sum and fibrous material and iibre-cement s eetings such as so-'called asbestos-cement. p

According to the present invention the ob ject above stated is attained, that is, a permanent and uniform adhesion of the transferred picture to a base material falling in the general class above indicated is secured, preferably. by employing a thermoplastic medium or media and at' the same time enrploying heat temporarily to plasticize such medium or media while employing pressure to squeeze the transfer picture and the base material toward intimate 'surface contact all 0 over; thereby, and by the aid of the thermoplastic medium or media, permanently to bond the transfer picture and the base ma-` terial together, all over the facing surfaces of the transfer picture and the base material "9 and without wrinkling of the former regardfore, that of satisfactorily transferring suchl pul or libre board, wall-boar or the like in-` less of the` original roughness of nish of the latter. B a thermoplastic material is meant one w ich under heat and/or pressure becomes temporarily resoftened or' restored to a tackiness such that as a result thereof, and as a result of the picture remalning in intimate contact all over with the base material until the thermoplastic material becomes a ain hardened or'dried to the state in which 1t was preparatory to the o0 transfer ste the permanent adhesion of the picture to t e base material is accom lished. rom the standpoint of commercia operation, some heat and pressure mode of transfer is an outstandin desideratum; as it not only gives ideal resu ts in the finished product, but offers the practical advant of' permitting the pictures to be prepare and the base material to be prepared or pretreated pursuant to the "invention, at even 'I0 remotely separated plants, and of permitting the transfer to be accomplished at an subsequent time, and at any place desi with `com aratively inexpensive equipment and sma l labor cost, an with better results than 76 any other transfer method where the transfer.`

pictures are replicas of large wood panels or marble slabs or otherwise of extensive area, According to the invention, as already stated, a suitableand preferably a thermov80 plasticmedium or media 'on a base material of the kind described is employed'. This medium or media is applied as a material coated on said base material to act both as a smoothin itate an intimate contact between the trans fer picture and the coated base material over the entire area being decorated by the transfer, as well also, when thermoplastic, as to act as an adhesive agent assisting inthe final 00 attainment of a uniform bond' between the transfer picture and the base material and to provide a general or backing or ground coloration of a desired shade or tint. to show through such transparent or translucent portions of the transfer icture as are present,

and create whenever esired shading-off effects heretofore deemed impossible in transfer work (so important, for instance, in fabricating imitation marble of absolute fidelity agent and as a means ,to facil- 85 to nature), thereby to assist in the final creating of the general visual ensemble ult1- mately desired. y

Further, pursuant to the invention, a base material in the general class hereinabove indicated, is treated or prepared in such manner that a suitably colored, as for instance a substantially white and o aque receivlng surface or integument may e provided on the base material for the transferred picture, with such surface integument or layer, preferably, thermoplastic as aforesaid and present as a permanently carried layer on or interpenetrative entity relative to, the base material and actually substantially integral or unitary therewith because tightly bond ed thereto; and all this incidental to i1narting to the base material a transfer surace which may be mechanically smoothed' to a greater smoothness than that of the base material in its ordinary state. Such a substantially white and opaque transfer surface, especially, is often highly advantageous. Very man of the base materials of i the kind with which the present invention concerns itself are of mottled or or' dull or drab and unattractive coloration; and it is at present undesirablefrom the standpoint of technique.. and' always undesirable from the standpoint of expense, to incorporate a substantially white and opaque coating or stratum in or on the transfer picture itself.

The material which is to act at the same time as a smoothing agent should contain a plgoportion of dry triturated material or a e powder, together with a proportion of a suitable binder, and, desirably also, a vehicle for the binder and a solvent if necessary. In connection with various binders, the powder or filler may be white lead and zinc white and French chalk, round to about 200- mesh fneness. The pow er may be a mixture of any two or all three of the materials just mentloned, or any one thereof; and the powder or powder mixture utilized may run from 5% to 25% of the final or liquid mixture, (binder and/or vehicle) by volume. Ce1- Y lulose lacquer, when employed as the liquid vehicle, is substantially colorless, and the ground powder or filler, if formed of one or more of the powder materials just mentioned or equivalents and mixed with the liquid vehicle so as to be substantialy uniformly dis-v rsed therethrough when the liquid mixture is applied to the base material, impartsto the subsequently dried layer of said mixture on the treated surface of the base material substantially complete opacity anda full white color. Where said dried layer is de-J sirably to be of some other color than white,

the desired tint may readily be predetermined by adding coloring matter as desired, which coloring matter may be additional to the powder above mentioned or may be substituted for sald powder as by using a ground pig- Lesaasi ment; as I have discovered that wide variations in the relative proportions of the binder and the powdered filler or fillers may he in dulged in, as hereinabove indicated, while preserving the advantages of the invention.

The accompanying drawings illustrate in Fig. l, as made plain by the legends thereon, the preliminary preparation of the base material, and illustrate in Fig. 2, as made plain by the legends thereon, the subsequent heat and pressure transfer of the color-body of a transfer picture to the coating of Fig. l. at the surface of such coating smoothed by abrasion to the line finish permitted by its powder content.

It is intended that all matter contained in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in av limiting sense. it is also to be understood that lthe language contained in the following claims is intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all stata ments of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween. In other words, the scope of protection contemplated is to be talren solely from the appended claims, interpreted, in accordance with the definitions hereinabove expressly or impliedly incorporated, as broadly asis consistent wit the prior art.

I claim:

1. The method of imitating natural material on a base of fibrous character, involving applying to the surface thereof a coating of thermoplastic material and having therein a powder content suhcient to harden the coating when cooled and dried so it may be abraded, abrading the surface while cooled and dried to a smooth condition, applying the transfer color body of a previously formed picture to said abraded surface and then applying heat and pressure to cause the color ody to unite with the thermo lastic, smoothed and abraded surface to smooth surface as set forth.

2. The method defined in claim l, wherein the powder content of said coating includes a powder component of a selected coloration to have the abraded surface of the coating have a predetermined ground coloration;

whereby said ground coloration will show through translucent portions of the transferred color-body.'

Signed at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, this 9th day of March, A. D. 1931.

FORD C. CLGSE. 

